Chatham Light

Go east on Main
Street and turn right (south) on Shore
Road to the lighthouse,
right next to the Coast Guard Station (map).
On
the other side of the street is a place
to
park while you look at the view through
some pay telescopes, and
down below, a fine beach.
The first lighthouse was erected on this
point of land in 1808. The
present lighthouse dates from
1878.

The view is pleasant, looking out
to sea across Lighthouse and Nauset Beach (the
sand bar, actually
a peninsula, you
see out in the water). The cool sea breeze in summer
and the nautical blast in winter make it incredible
to think that Rome, Italy is at almost exactly the
same latitude as Chatham—but 4,200 miles/6775
km to the east.

Fish Pier

Follow Main Street east to Shore Street,
then go left (north) to reach the Fish
Pier (map), operated by the town for
licensed Chatham fishing boats.

Chatham is
proud of its fishing fleet of
small boats, which
the townspeople
boast brings in the freshest fish.
The use of little boats means the catch
is brought
in every day. Larger
boats stay out to sea for days,
refrigerating their catch on board.

From mid-morning until afternoon, you may see boats of the fleet
come in and unload. You can buy
the day's
catch right there.

Rent a boat at Fish
Pier for a day's
hunting for bass,
bluefish, and tuna out at sea. Or simply buy it fresh from the Chatham Pier Fish Market, right there by the dock. They'll cook you a fine lnch of fish seafood, also.

On a hilltop by Shattuck Place in Chase Park less than 10 minutes' walk south of Chatham Town Hall stands the Godfrey Grist Mill, built in 1797 and recently restored to working condition—meaning it even grinds grain! the interior is only limited hours in July and August, but you can admire it from the outside anytime. To find it, take Cross
Street south off Main Street to Shattuck Place,
which winds
down to the mill (map). More...

Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary

Chatham
is a particularly good place for seeing birds. Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, on Monomoy
Island,
south of the town, has been a refuge since 1970. Over 300 species
of birds have
been spotted on its 7600 acres (31 square kilometers).

May is
the best time to see birds
in their mating plumage, and starting in late July many birds begin to be seen in winter plumage.

The only way to get to Monomoy is by boat
from Chatham.
The Monomoy Island Ferry is the easiest way, offering South Monomoy Island walking tours as well as transportation. More...

Some areas of Monomoy are off-limits to visitors during nesting season. Details on current possibilities for Monomoy visits are available
from the town's
information booth.

Band Concerts

One of the nicest things
about Chatham in July and August is
the schedule of band concerts
(every Friday evening at 8 pm) in Kate
Gould Park, just past the Chatham Wayside Inn on Main
Street(map).

Everybody
comes
to the concerts, and on a typical Friday evening
the crowd may reach into the thousands. Most
of the musicians
in the town band are year-round residents of
Chatham who live and work in the town
and enjoy providing
a little free entertainment for their fellow
citizens and visitors once a week.

The Monomoy
Theatre, 776 Main Street
(tel. 508-945-1589), not far west of the
intersection
with Old Harbor Road, is the summer-stock operation
of
Ohio University and offers a different play
each week from
mid-June through August. More...

Museums & Historic Houses

Chatham has its share of antique
buildings open to the public, each highlighting
a part
of
the town's interesting past.

The Atwood House
Museum (tel
508-945-2493), 347 Stage
Harbor Road,
is run by the Chatham
Historical Society and
feature over 2,000 exhibits, including
an outstanding shell
collection, a good number of pieces of Sandwich
glass, and a crewel bedspread which took townspeople
six
years to make.

Also on display is
a set of French
lighthouse lenses used in the Chatham Light
from 1923 until recently.

The ChathamRailroad
Museum is located in the
old station 153 Depot Road (take Old
Harbor
Road north
off Main
Street, and Depot Street is a short distance
up
on the left).

The station was built in 1887 by
the Chatham
Railroad Company and was turned into a museum
in 1960. Among the railroading exhibits
is a completely
restored
1910 wooden caboose, used
by the New York Central until that company
gave it to the museum.